


Loneliness

by NepetaQuest



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Catfish - Freeform, F/M, erinep - Freeform, eripeta, fish and ships, neperi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-15 08:31:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NepetaQuest/pseuds/NepetaQuest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being dead for nearly a sweep and without the sight of many of her friends, Nepeta Leijon was growing quite lonesome. When Eridan Ampora stumbles across her path, she's not particularly excited to see him, but slowly realizes that she and Eridan may have a lot more in common than she'd expected.</p><p>(Fluff. After-death, alpha timeline.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loneliness

Nepeta Leijon sat upon a cliff, dangling her short legs over the edge, looking down into the valley of her memory below. She’d been dead for almost a sweep now, and though everything here in the dream bubble felt real, nothing stayed the same for long. It was always changing, morphing to fit other memories, not always her own.

Being dead wouldn’t be so bad if something, anything, stayed the same. For a while, at least. Something static would be nice. But she supposed that, like her life, her death could not be exactly what she wanted it to be.

She let out a long sigh, hissing to herself at the end. For the sweep that she’d been imprisoned in this hell bubble, she’d barely seen anyone she knew – mostly only humans and their ancestors. She’d run into Vriska and Tavros a few times, but that was it. She was beginning to wonder if she’d ever see her friends again when she heard twigs snap and a startled gasp behind her.

She turned around, and there was Eridan Ampora, the purple of his clothes clashing with the green foliage framing his lithe figure. She let out a little sigh of relief, glad it wasn’t a beast or something, but admittedly a little disappointed at the sight. Of all trolls, why did it have to be him? He hated her guts! But the loneliness of death was stronger than her reluctance, as well as her promise to Equius to stay away from him.

Nepeta knew full well that Eridan was probably just as lonely as she was when it came down to it, so she gave him a little wave and a smile. “Hi Ampurra.”

He still stood, frozen in place, as if stunned to see her dead. But he quickly shook his head a little, straightening and walking over to her. “Oh hey Nep,” he said casually. “Wwhat’s up?”

She patted the ground beside her, inviting him to sit down. “Nothing much!” she laughed, trying to hide how bitter her lack of doing something tasted. “What’s up with you?”

He shrugged lightly, sitting down beside her and leaning back against his elbows, looking out into the beautiful blue-treed forest valley below. She cocked her head at him, reaching over to finger his silky soft scarf. “You seem kinda upset or something…are you okay?”

Eridan just sighed, “Eh…just another quadrant rejection.” He swung his long legs carelessly over the edge of the cliff, balling his fists around the plush green grass till his knuckles turned white. Clearly the sting of rejection was fresh.

“Paw…poor Ampurra.” Nepeta patted his head, careful not to mess up his delicately styled hair. “If it makes you feel any better, I understand how you feel.”

He refused to meet her gaze, instead putting his hands in his lap, slumping over to stare at his ring-clad fingers. “No you don’t…you could havve anyone if you wwanted…”

She paused for a moment in shock before letting out a quick burst of laughter. “Haha, I’m sorry, but you’re quite mistaken!”

He looked up at her, seeming confused. “…Really?”

“Yeah.” Her smile faded, and she looked down at her hands. She decided that if she was going to get Eridan to stay, she had to make it worth his time, so she took a deep breath and hesitantly told him the secret she’d never told anyone before.

“Back when we were alive, I…for a really long time…I was flushed fur Karkitty.” She attempted a smile. “I guess I’m sorta ofur it now, but…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say anymore, but only to sigh and look away. He chuckled a little bit, a soft, throaty sound, and patted her head gently. “I knoww…i could tell…but don’t feel bad about it Nep. You’ll find someone.”

Nepeta shrugged, wondering why he was being so nice to her. Maybe being dead had calmed him down a little, given him time to think? “Maybe. But…efurryone seems to think I’m annoying. And…” she paused, biting her lip. “…they’re purrobably right.”

“Wwell shit, I don’t. Wwhy do you think evveryone else does?”

“I dunno…it doesn’t really matter though,” she said quickly. “This is suppawsed to be a confursation about you, not me. Remempurr?”

He shook his head, glasses lenses gleaming in the muted moonlight. “I don’t care. You’re sad and that’s not good…so I’m tryin’ to fix it.”

“But…why? Since when do you care about me?” Her gray-green eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You nefur cared befur! You called me a kittycat shippurr cavegirl, I heard you!”

An embarrassed blush spread across his face like wildfire. “Wwell I haven’t really had anybody to for the past swweep or so since evverybody I see keeps ignorin’ me or runnin’ awway since I’vve been such a huge dick to them all, an you too,” he admitted. “So I…I’m tryin’ to be nicer an maybe make some friends. But after evverythin’ I did to evveryone, I guess I shouldn’t expect a second chance.”

He looked away, hands clasped tight in his lap, biting his lip to hold back the tears. For a moment, Nepeta just sat there, unsure of what to do, and then she decided to just give him a hug – he looked like he needed one. He blushed deeply, and when she pulled back, the catlike troll giggled, “Your cheeks are purrple.”

“Wwhat? Uh…” He looked away, blushing more and grumbling to himself. “Shit…”

She just laughed and shot him a smile. “Do you feel a little better now, Ampurra?”

He turned back, looking into her eyes. “Do you…?”

Nepeta grinned, “Yeah, I do actually! But you’re avoiding my question.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he slid a cool, long-fingered hand over hers, nodding slightly. His smile spread until it engulfed his face. “I do feel better…”

With a smile, she leaned in to nuzzle one of his fins. “Good,” she purred, rubbing her nose and lips against his velvety fin. The fins wiggled a bit, and he laughed. “Oh Nep, that tickles…” He laughed aloud and she giggled, never hearing him laugh before. Glad to be getting along with him, the both of them sporting a smile, she kept up the nuzzling until she was practically on top of him, both of them laughing their heads off.

“Nep…Nep, stop…I can’t…hahaha!” He squirmed around, batting at her gently with his hands and tried to push her off, but she persisted until tears began to stream down his face. When Nepeta felt the droplets against her skin, she pulled back and saw the wet purple stains on his cheeks. Her brows knitted together in worry.

“Ampurra, you’re crying!” she said gently, placing a hand on his cheek and brushing the tears away. “Are you okay?”

He slid his hand over her wrist, holding onto her, smiling through the tears. “Of course I am Nep…I just…I’m so happy you’re givin’ me a second chance evven after evverythin’ an howw badly I treated you…” He looked away, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. He carefully put them back on and whispered, “I’m…I’m so sorry, Nep.”

The last thing she’d been expecting was an apology. Nepeta sat there, stunned for a moment, and then leaned in to kiss his cheek softly. He squeezed her hand gently, chuckling and surrounding the smaller troll in a hug before she could back away. She hugged back tightly, whispering, “You know, purrhaps being forever alone wouldn’t be so bad…if we could do it together.”

Eridan could only nod, his face buried in her hair. Finally, he’d found a friend who’d forgive him, or maybe in this case, furgive. He draped his cape around her shoulders, knowing that even though he couldn’t be her moirail, maybe someday she’d want to fill another of the quadrants with him. He certainly hoped so, and not because he was desperate – because here in her arms, he felt the safest he’d ever felt, and he knew, no matter red or black or even if they were only friends, he would be happy with Nepeta.

She just clung to Eridan tightly, feeling that maybe he wanted to be the one thing in her life that was always there – and she wanted him to be.


End file.
